Geo-Institute Director’s Cut

S05 E35 - Vishal Patel (American Geotechnical and Environmental Services)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 35 of Season 5, our guest is Vishal Patel of American Geotechnical and Environmental Services, and the current President of the National Capital G-I chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- The Mount Vernon Trail bridge is a super cool project: https://mountvernontrail.org/2024/05/23/rebuilt-bridge-23-opened-across-dyke-marsh/
- Specs on the HTC Shadow from 2009! https://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1643
- Here's the website for the National Capital G-I Chapter: https://asce-ncsgi.org
- Want to go to Kalamazoo? Of course you do! Here's some info to start! https://www.discoverkalamazoo.com/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S05 E36 - Leela Krishna Mohan (Texas A&M)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 36 of Season 5, our guest is Leela Krishna Mohan of Texas A&M University, and the current Vice Chair of the G-I Student Leadership Committee!
SHOW NOTES:
- Here's a quick talk by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam so you can see what Leela is talking about! Be inspired! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SDkzDlw1yc
- Do you want to make chicken biryani? There are tons of recipes - here's one to get you going: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/chicken-biryani-recipe
- Student membership in ASCE is FREE and a great way to start getting involved with the society! Start here: https://www.asce.org/communities/student-members
- More info on the Cross-USA Lecture! Be sure to apply to host the lecturer in 2025-26! https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters/cross-usa-lectures
- Check out some of the projects from the Texas Instruments India Innovation Challenge: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG0qIyPiMiS0l8aOA3vmguFDyPJOZLUUD
- More info on the A&M Center for Infrastructure Renewal! https://tti.tamu.edu/facilities/cir
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S05 E37 - Paola Bandini (New Mexico State University)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 37 of Season 5, our guest is Paola Bandini of New Mexico State University, and a current member of the G-I Technical Coordination Council!
SHOW NOTES:
- We recorded this episode LIVE at DFI 49 in Aurora, CO! I mean, all the episodes are recorded live, but this was in person.
- More info on CBBG - start here: https://cbbg.engineering.asu.edu
- Find out all about the Organ Mountains! https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/new-mexico/organ-mountains-desert-peaks-national-monument
- Here's Paola's bio as a new Region Governor: https://www.asce.org/about-asce/elections/paola-bandini
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E24 - Krishna Kumar (University of Texas at Austin)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 24 of Season 6, our guest is Krishna Kumar of University of Texas at Austin!
SHOW NOTES:
- Alphonso mangoes are the "King of Mangoes!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_mango
- If you never played the original SimCity, you should. Here's a review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6-ipF8Tf4
- For info on G-I Grad Student Organizations, start here! https://www.geoinstitute.org/students/graduate-student-organizations
- Krishna wrote a paper on teaching using murder mysteries! https://www.jotse.org/index.php/jotse/article/view/2014/743
- Still wondering about high performance computing and engineering? Let DesignSafe show you what you can do! https://tacc.utexas.edu/research/tacc-research/designsafe/
- Stick around at the end for a special performance and remembrance of Golu, one of Krishna's cockatiels.
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E22 - Erika Finan (Langan)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 21 of Season 6, our guest is Erika Finan of Langan and the 2024-25 President of the Met Section (NYC) Geo-Institute Chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- Some great images of the Greenpoint waterfront: https://greenpointlanding.com/waterfront/
- Here's more info on the NYC waterfront regulation and you can map it! https://waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov/waterfront-zoning-for-public-access?visibleLayerGroups=%5B%22waterfront-access--entry-points%22%2C%22waterfront-access--publicly-owned%22%2C%22waterfront-access--wpaas%22%5D
- Start here for info on the NYC Marathon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Marathon
- Here's the home page for the Met Section (NYC) Chapter! https://www.ascemetsection.org/tech-groups/geotechnical/home
- Levain cookies are enormous and delicious - here's a recipe: https://www.modernhoney.com/levain-bakery-chocolate-chip-crush-cookies/
- Rainbow cookie recipe - this one is not for the faint of heart: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/dining/a63073383/carbone-rainbow-cookie-recipe/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E21 - Jackie Bronner (City of Seattle)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 21 of Season 6, our guest is Jackie Bronner of the City of Seattle and the 2025-26 President of the Seattle Geo-Institute Chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- The City of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections website is pretty amazing as municipal websites go: https://www.seattle.gov/sdci
- For all your info on the Baby-Sitters Club series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baby-Sitters_Club
- There's a lot of info on 222 Dexter - here's the architectural landscaping: https://hewittseattle.com/project/222-dexter-landscapearchitecture/
- You can't do the personality tests for free, but you can learn about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator
- Find your local G-I chapter and get involved! https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters/find-a-chapter
- Lots of info on Climate Pledge Arena: https://climatepledgearena.com/ - Stick around for the Hoover Dam/Britney Spears story at the end!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E20 - Ramin Motamed (Unviersity of Nevada-Reno)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 20 of Season 6, our guest is Ramin Motamed of the University of Nevada-Reno!
SHOW NOTES:
- Info on the Monte Cristo Range earthquake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Monte_Cristo_Range_earthquake
- And the GEER info and report on the quake: https://geerassociation.org/%22//?view=geerreports&id=98
- Here's the UNR shake table/soil box site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U86gdAMyQMU
- Find out everything about the Dept of Energy National Labs: https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories
- Bungee jumping in the parking lot in Reno! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEX9kyLOPtE
- Closest skiing to Reno: https://skirose.com/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E19 - Robert Thompson (Dan Brown and Associates)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 19 of Season 6, our guest is Robert Thompson of Dan Brown and Associates!
SHOW NOTES:
- Kinda tough to find construction info on Riverwalk Stadium, but Wikipedia gets you started with general info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Riverwalk_Stadium
- Bo vs The Boz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnDlFKTNkeE
- WE're kind of in between IFCEEs right now, so there's no website to send you to, but here are the proceedings from IFCEE 2024 if you want to see what it was all about: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/ifcee2024
- There are six gazillion first time Disney visitor trip guides - here's one we've used: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/first-time-disney-world-visit-tips/
- ALDOT's look back at the Hwy 231 slide: https://www.aldotnews.com/2025/03/12/five-years-later-a-look-back-at-the-us-231-landslide
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E18 - Gaby Vasquez (Black and Veatch)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 18 of Season 6, our guest is Gaby Vasquez of Black and Veatch and the brand new Austin G-I chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- We don't have Gaby's dog waiting for a treat, but here's a random dog named Bailey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVwhiAu-T2U
- There's a lot of info about expansive clays on the web! Start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansive_clay
- Some kind soul posted the entire Aladdin performance from the theatre at Disneyland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5DIv555MQ
- Learn more about Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) here! https://dfi.org/communities/widf/
- And the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is here: https://swe.org/ - Make your own Rocoto relleno with this recipe: https://piquantpost.com/blogs/recipes/peruvian-stuffed-peppers-rocoto-relleno
- Here's a drone tour of Texas Tech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNuIWDdiIHg
- Evie Mae's website might be enough to get you to Lubbock: https://www.eviemaesbbq.com/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org. 
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E17 - Kenichi Soga (University of California Berkeley)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 17 of Season 6, our guest is Kenichi Soga of the University of California Berkeley!
SHOW NOTES:
- I was recovering from a cold in this one - you can tell by my voice.
- Home page for the Center for Smart Infrastructure: https://smartinfrastructure.berkeley.edu/
- Kenichi's Rankine Lecture from earlier in 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AxzE7RSGJk
- There's a 1960 Berkeley civil faculty photo and guide at https://ce.berkeley.edu/news/454. Just take in the names for a minute.
- Here's the Fundamentals of Soil Behavior book by Jim and Kenichi (and now Catherine, too!): https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Fundamentals+of+Soil+Behavior%2C+4th+Edition-p-9781119832317
- Be sure to stick around til the end to hear some more of Kenichi's thoughts about Jim Mitchell!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.